This paper serves as an exploration into some of the ways in which organizations can promote, capture, share, and manage the valuable knowledge of their employees. The problem is that employees typically do not share valuable information, skills, or expertise with other employees or with the entire organization. The author uses research as well as her graduate studies in the field of Human Resource Development (HRD) and professional career experiences as an instructor and training and development consultant to make a correlation between the informal workplace learning experiences that exist in the workplace and the need to promote, capture, and support them so they can be shared throughout the organization. This process, referred to as knowledge sharing, is the exchange of information, skills, or expertise among employees of an organization that forms a valuable intangible asset and is dependent upon an organization culture that includes knowledge sharing, especially the sharing of the knowledge and skills that are acquired through informal workplace learning; performance support to promote informal workplace learning; and knowledge management to transform valuable informal workplace learning into knowledge that is promoted, captured, and shared throughout the organization.

This paper serves as an exploration and thick description of job performance outcomes based upon the manner in which self-directed learning activities of employees are conducted, mediated by the use of Web 2.0 technologies in organizational settings. It provides a collective view of the role that Web 2.0 technology plays in self-directed workplace learning and job performance outcomes to benefit employees, organizations, and human resource development professionals. To expand further the knowledge base of adult learning and self-directed learning activities, this paper places its focus on the role of Web 2.0 technology in adult learners’ engagement in self-directed learning. Part of the discussion focuses on learners’ preferences in relation to the emergence of Web 2.0 technology. This discussion of learner preferences explores learning environments that participants engaged in and the motivation behind their engagement. This paper contributes to the field of human resource development by providing a new lens that views the role of Web 2.0 technology in self-directed learning and job performance within an organizational setting, thereby enabling its integration into a blended-learning site. A practical application resulting from this paper is to provide insight to human resource development professionals into best practices and recommendations for the adoption and application of Web 2.0 technology.